 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
A Lot Like Love
- Review Date: August 21, 2005
- PG-13
- Genre: Comedy
- 2005
Common Sense Media says
Bungling and predictable romantic comedy.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this movie includes some strong and crude language. Characters drink, smoke, and have sex.
What's the story?
For years, Emily (Amanda Peet) and Oliver (Ashton Kutcher) repeatedly reconnect and reevaluate their sex-buddy friendship. Though Oliver really likes Emily, he accepts what seem to be her terms, that they remain friends. His life plan is to become rich (he sells diapers on the internet during the dot-com boom). Though Emily appears "independent" and unhappy (marked by her edgy outfits, drinking, and cigarette smoking), her life plan is to find Mr. Right.
Is it any good?
Bungling and predictable, A LOT LIKE LOVE actually starts out looking like it will challenge romantic comedy formula, only to hammer it home insistently. Structured according to Emily and Oliver's interactions, the film shows very little of their separate lives, except to note their other relationships (with stereotypical "best friends," quirky family members, and other lovers who "just don't understand" them). The primary disappointment is not that the movie is yet another uninspired vehicle for the gloriously fearless Peet, though it is that. Instead, it is the film's lack of nerve, as it abandons its premise (the non-romance at the center of a romantic comedy) for a generic final act that places Emily firmly inside the girl-in-need-of-rescue plot.
While Oliver's trajectory is vaguely noble (already humble, he learns to be gracious too), Emily's maturation involves becoming the artist she didn't know she wanted to be (he gives her a camera and she becomes a photographer, specifically manipulating shutter speed, as if to indicate her desire for control) and the good-girl partner she didn't know she needed to be. Not only must Peet survive her costar's irrepressible Ashton-ness, but also a plot that calls for her to walk into a glass door as comic climax. This makes literal the film's own lack of vision.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about what makes a good romantic comedy. What are some of the trappings of the genre? How does this one compare to other romantic comedies?
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
Great Movie
My sister and I picked this up from a Blockbuster and watched it.. I was pleasantly surprised.. I really enjoyed it.
Good movie.. I liked the actors and how it was filmed.. good music too.. As for the content.. it was kind of iffy.
I was doubtful about watching it because the premise of the whole movie is two people having sex and meeting each other through the years. But it was explicit. The sexual scenes are more implied than actually visibly seen (except on one instance). A little bit of nudity.. I wouldn't suggest this movie for anyone under 16.
Overall a very likable and different romantic comedy.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
just sex, but great love story
I watched this movie when I was 10 and ok, it has sex in it, but you don't SEE it; i mean kids of 10 years old already learn at school what sex is, so wteverr. and drinking is definitly NOT a problem. btw, great story!
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
No plot whatsoever...
I don't know why anyone would want to see this, it's gross and it has no plot. It's the same get-together break-up deal... over and over. Not a fun watch.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Entertaining, But Nothing Special
This would have made an entertaining made-for-tv Lifetime network movie -- whether it's worth a $6 matinee ticket is questionable. The plot has a few interesting twists, but basically follows the tried-and-true formula: boy meets girl, boy-loses-girl, boy-gets-girl again, boy-loses-girl-again, etc. etc. etc. only to finally end up with boy getting girl and living happily ever after.
The trouble is these characters aren't particularly likeable and so the viewer doesn't ending up caring that much whether they end up together or not.
A little bad language, lots of alcohol and tobacco use, and total nudity (although the bodies were positioned so no 'private parts' were shown). The nudity was in the context of posing for photographs and was not explicitly sexual.
On the whole, not a "bad" movie, but not particularly good either.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
too much sex
not for kids under 17, all the movie is about is the 2 main characters having sex off and on, it makes me mad that they wont choose each other but they continue to have sex through the whole movie, lots of nudity.
Was this review useful?
|
|
| Studio: | Touchstone Pictures |
| Director: | Nigel Cole |
| Cast: | Amanda Peet, Taryn Manning |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Run time: | 107 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | April 22, 2005 |
| DVD release date: | August 23, 2005 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | sexual content, nudity and language. |
Review It
Great alternatives handpicked by our editors
Already seen it? What do you think?
More from Common Sense Media
Top advice and articles
